Difference between revisions of "Describe the World I Came From"

Revision as of 17:57, 9 November 2008

Essay

I come from Havertown, an upper-middle class suburb of Philadelphia. The neighborhood is not challenging at all; I am not able to write about how I grew up and focused on my education despite the drug dealers on the street corner. I am not able to write about how poverty and helplessness shaped me. However, in this polite, trusting town, I was able to learn a lot about people and humanity. Three particular sets of experiences stand out to me over my life so far.

In 9th grade, I participated in a deep acting study program at People’s Light and Theater Company in Malvern, PA. Even though I liked computers more than acting, I learned how to pay attention to my body and how to wipe my emotions down to a blank state. Actors do this in order to then add the thoughts and feelings of the character on top of their own. This discipline ebabled me to see more from other people’s points of view, as well as to control my emotions in tough situations. I also learned more tangible, practical skills such as projecting and standing still when I talked. These weeks also let me increase my confidence in public speaking. This experience has shaped me more than words can explain.

Get in touch with inside – get rid of everything else

In order to broaden my experience with how people interact with computers, I provide technical support to the community at far below-market rate of $7 an hour. I do this on order to see how other people use their computers. Too often as computer people, we design systems for us to use. However we must consider how others will use the systems we design. For instance, I think that the “Save” command on the “File” menu is totally useless since I either hit CTRL+S or click on the floppy icon. However, there are some people that need it and would be lost without it. Everyone approaches a computer interface from a different way. I want to develop interfaces that are easy for everyone to use.

My experience running my own business has also shaped who I am. When you are running a business, you need to focus on the bottom line and get stuff done. You need to analyze the competition and find the best opening in the market. You then need to execute with speed and without wasted effort. You need to manage people and help them achieve to the fullest potential. This experience has helped me understand how and why a business operates as it does and how to value diversity for the breth of opinions it brings.

Brainstorm

Well off neighborhood Do tech support for free to see how normal people use tech Access to Phila -> aspire Travel to many places -> see how they live -> how tech helps Shallow: TV repair with Dad, go in rich people’s houses -> want one Theater and PLTC theater class How Tecker 911 has affected me Or do 3

• Intro: Well off neighborhood
• Theater affected me
• What I learned running my own business
  • Managing finances
  • Working with people you’re paying (urgency)
  • Leading a project
• Tech support for free
  • How people use the computer: short cut
• Closing: Well of houses aspire for $$